困 (kùn) is a Chinese character meaning “to be trapped or hemmed in”. It is written from 囗 (enclosure, surrounding frame) and 木 (tree; wood), one enclosing the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “stuck; hard”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
囗 + 木
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 说文解字：困，故廬也。从木在囗中
Memory aid
A tree (木) shut inside a wall (囗). Both parts are really in this character: something boxed in with no room to grow — stuck, worn out, in trouble.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 困难kùn nándifficulty; hardship; difficult困 = kùn
- 困住kùn zhùto trap; to be stuck fast困 = kùn
Go deeper
All readings
stuck; hard
to be trapped or hemmed in; hard-pressed, in difficulty; (of a person) tired, sleepy
被围住、走不出去；处境艰难；也指疲乏想睡。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 困难kùn nándifficulty; hardship; difficult困 = kùn
- 困住kùn zhùto trap; to be stuck fast困 = kùn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 困 mean?
困 (kùn) means to be trapped or hemmed in; hard-pressed, in difficulty; (of a person) tired, sleepy.
How do you pronounce 困?
It is pronounced kùn.
What parts is 困 made of?
囗 (enclosure, surrounding frame) and 木 (tree; wood), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：困，故廬也。从木在囗中. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 困 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 困?
囗. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 困?
Common ones are 困难 and 困住. The reading of 困 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.